Scholarships for Moms and Dads

As the video indicates above, filling out the FAFSA is your first step in obtaining government aid. Even though the video relates to those just entering college, it also applies to anyone looking for scholarships or grants. This will determine your need based on income, plus by filling it out, the government will notify you of any student loans, subsidized and unsubsidized, through the government you may be able to get.

In 2009 the government implemented a new FAFSA4Caster that will help you determine how much aid you may qualify to receive. Since in order to fill out the FAFSA you must have your W2, 1099, and/or taxes completed the 4caster will give you a head start on the process as you can work off of the previous years' information. This will not only give you an estimate of the amount of money available to you but it will also give you some practice in filling out the FAFSA once you have your tax information. It is important to fill out this form as soon as you have all of your information, as by doing so you will have the greatest chance at receiving the most money.

After you fill out the FAFSA4Caster or the FAFSA you will want to start your scholarship search. For moms and dads, this will include looking for the non-traditional student scholarships. This type of free money is given out to those students over the age of 22/24 and who have either been out of the educational scene for a few years and is re-entering or first-time students.

Usually you can find this type of scholarship available at the school in which you are thinking about attending. Be sure to ask each school if they have any non-traditional scholarships that you may qualify to receive, as each school will have their own unique programs. Also, some schools are starting their own unique single parent scholarship programs, as more and more moms and dads are entering college now, especially with the recession.

Arkansas is one state that has the unique single parent scholarships available. in the 2009/2010 school year, the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) and the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) have joined efforts for the to increase the availability of much needed scholarship support to deserving single parents in the state. The ADHE has awarded $175,000 to be distributed within the network of ASPSF affiliates for the purpose of increasing the number of single parents who pursue higher education and are awarded Single Parent Scholarships.

But Arkansas is not the only state in which a single parent scholarship can be found. There is a pioneering program at the Nursing School at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield. This program is for those interested in obtaining a nursing degree, who are also single parents with primary custodial care of a child under the age of 18. With this program, single parents live together in one unit and all perform as part of a family, helping each other out with babysitting, meals, and cleaning. The students only have to pay for food, otherwise, everything else, including their education, is free.